Animal ear tags and applicators therefor

ABSTRACT

An animal ear tag comprising two components formed of a plastics or other resilient material, a first component having a hollow stem with a flanged end which has a spike of hard plastic or other rigid material shaped from its back end with a hole for the reception of a guide pin of a reusable back plate, and the second component having a boss with a hole for fitting over such end whereby with each component detachably mounted on a jaw of a pliers like applicator and the pin of the backplate inserted through the hollow stem of the first component and into the hole of the rigid spike, on a closing of the jaws of the applicator, the spike and stem of the first component is forced through the ear of an animal, and through the hole in the second component, and on an opening of the jaws of the applicator, the rigid pin and its backplate is left within the hollow stem of the first component, and the second component retained on the hollow stem and the spike on the end of the first component, the reusable backing plate with the pin being now withdrawn from the applied tag.

This invention relates to improvements in tags designed for attachmentto ears of animals for identification, and to applicators for installingthe tags.

It is well known to provide such a device comprising two parts orcomponents, a male part having a pointed pin which is adapted to beforced through an ear of the animal and a female part having a hole andforced over the pointed end of the pin to be resident on the pin. Againit is known to provide an ear tag wherein one component having a pin isformed of a more rigid material and the other component made ofresilient material. In attaching the ear tag to the animal's ear, anapplicator of pliers form is employed with each component attached to aflat jaw of the applicator. Upon closing the applicator the pin piercesthe animal's ear and then is forced through a hole in the othercomponent to complete installation after the applicator is opened andremoved.

It is further known to provide an applicator in the form of plierswherein male and female components of an ear tag are each retained inposition in a respective jaw of the pliers by retaining clips secured bya spring around a pin attached to the pliers. Such a pliers was designedessentially to install a rigid type tag or a tag having a rigid tab tothe animal's ear.

In one instance the present invention is concerned with an animal eartag, main components of which are formed of a suitable resilientplastics material.

In another instance the invention is concerned with an applicator forapplying a tag to an animal's ear, the applicator having such aconstruction that a resilient tag may be installed to the ear.

Accordingly in one aspect the invention consists of an animal ear tagcomprising two components formed of a plastics or other resilientmaterial, a first component having a hollow stem with a flanged endwhich has a spike of hard plastics or other rigid material formed with ahole for the reception of a guide pin of a reusable back plate, and thesecond component having a boss with a hole for fitting over such endwhereby with each component detachably mounted on a jaw of a pliers-likeapplicator and the pin of the backplate inserted through the hollow stemof the first component and into the hole of the rigid spike, on aclosing of the jaws of the applicator, the spike and stem of the firstcomponent is forced through the ear of an animal, and through the holein the second component, and on an opening of the jaws of theapplicator, the rigid pin and its backplate is left within the hollowstem of the first component, and the second component retained on thehollow stem and the spike on the end of the first component, thereusable backing plate with the pin being now withdrawn from the appliedtag.

In another aspect the invention consists of an applicator for applying atag according to the previous aspect to an animal's ear, the applicatorbeing of a pliers nature and having a head including two jaws eachhaving a planar surface one facing the other, a first one of such jawshaving a hole adapted for receiving a back stud of the backplate for thefirst component of the tag, the second one of the jaws having a largehole aligning with the hole of the first jaw in a closing of the jawsand providing a recess for the boss of the second component of the tagwhen located on this second jaw, a spring-loaded clip mounted on eachjaw for retaining the respective tag component to the jaw and thebackplate on the first jaw, each clip arranged to allow the tagcomponent to be freed from the clip and the pliers when the tag has beenattached to animal's ear.

In further describing the invention reference will be made hereinafterto the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a sectional side view taken through the tag installed in ananimal's ear,

FIG. 2 is a side view of the backplate and

FIG. 3 is a side view of the head portion of the applicator, with itsopened jaws and the tag components shown in cross-section.

In further describing the tap aspect of the invention as a preferredembodiment, each component is of tab-like nature, that is with a mainflat thin disc or panel surrounding or depending from the axis of thehollow stem of the first component or the axis of the hole in the secondcomponent. Each component is formed of a resilient elastomeric plasticsmaterial, such as polyurethane or the like.

The first component 10 has its hollow stem 11 upstanding from onesurface of and is moulded integral with the disc or tab 12 of thecomponent. This stem 11 is of tubular formation with a bore of constantdiameter extending through it.

The outer end of this hollow stem 11 is of an enlarged nature providingthe flanged end 13 having an inner shoulder 14 with the external surfaceof the rest of the stem 11 and an inside groove 15. The enlarged end 13is moulded around the hard plastics spike 16 which has a flange 17fitting into the groove 15 for the spike to become an integral part ofthe component 10.

The second component 18 is formed with the boss 19 through which thehole 20 is formed. This hole 20 includes a seat 21 of a size larger thanthe cross-sectional area of the rest of the hole. This hole 20 and itsseat 21 extend on an axis perpendicular to the vertical plane of the tab22 of the second component 18.

The hard plastics spike 16 is so designed that it and the flange end 13of the first component 10 are encased in the boss 19 of the secondcomponent 18. The hard plastics spike 16 is generally of conicalformation with its hole 23, which can be blind or straight through thespike providing an outer cutting edge.

The backplate 24 is formed of steel and acts as a base or platform forthe first component 10 has a tab 25 similar to that of the firstcomponent of the tag. The guide pin 26 preferably of steel is upstandingfrom the surface of the backplate whilst the stepped stud 27 isupstanding from its other surface. The pin 26 and the back-stud 27 areof a single length passed through the plate 24. The outer end 28 of theguide pin 26 is reduced in diameter to fit through the hole 23 of thespike 16. The length of the guide pin 26 and 28 is such as to extendthrough the hollow stem 11 of the first component and the hole 23 of thespike 16.

In further describing the applicator aspect of the invention as apreferred embodiment, the pliers can be adapted in any suitable knownway for operation in the manner of an overcenter spring arrangementwhereby the jaws adopt stable closed and open positions. Such pliers canbe described as of the vice-grip type.

The pliers 30 has jaws 31, 32 with mutually-opposed, planar grippingsurfaces 33, 34, which in the closed disposition remain parallel to eachother. Each planar surface 33 or 34 is fixed and an integral part of itsjaw 31 or 32.

The first jaw 31 has its hole 35 positioned centrally and locatedtowards the outer end edge of the jaw, whilst the large hole 36 in thesecond jaw 32 is for receiving the boss 19 of the second and femalecomponent 18 of the tag. So that in the process of applying the tag tothe animal's ear by closure of the pliers, the hard plastics spike 16and the enlarged end 13 of the tubular stem 11 of the tag's firstcomponent 10 passes through the hole 20 in the boss 19 of the secondcomponent 18 of the tag.

The first component 10 and the hard plastics spike 16 of the tag are ofcourse retained in position by being mounted on the rigid pin 26 and 28of the backplate 24 in alignment for the component with the stud 27 ofsuch plate 24 located in the hole 35 of the first jaw 31, and retainedby the respective spring clip 37 pivoted to the first jaw 31. The secondcomponent 18 is retained in position by the spring-loaded clip 38pivoted to the second jaw 32 of the pliers. Each clip 37 or 38 is ofplate nature and has an open slot extending in from its outer endthrough which the tubular stem 11 of the first component 10 will pass.Each clip 37 or 38 is provided with upstanding side lugs which extendtoward the back of the respective jaw, so that they mutually act as astop.

The clips 37 and 38 are spring-loaded by means of a spring 39 havingfree ends, each end adapted to engage the clip 37 or 38 of theparticular jaw 31 or 32. The spring 39 is preferably a torsion one witha central eye 40 thereof mounted on a bolt 41, pin or screw passingthrough the head portion of the first jaw 31. One free end or leg of thespring 39 passes down onto the respective clip well beyond its hingingend and towards its open outer end.

The method of loading the applicator with the tag's components 18, 10including the hard spike 16 is by sliding over the pin 26/28 of thebackplate 24 mounting the hollowed stem 11 of the first component 10 andits hard spike 16 down and locating the stem 27 of the backplate 24 intothe hole 35 of the first jaw 31 and under its spring-loaded clip 37. Itis of course essential that the separate parts be in proper alignmentwhen being applied. The tag's second component 18 is fitted under theretaining clip 38 of the second jaw 32 and the boss 19 located in therecess 36 of such jaw.

During a strong and positive closing of the jaws 31 and 32 of thepliers, the hard spike 16 is punched through the ear A of the animal andthis in turn carries the resilient hollowed stem 11 with its enlargedand flanged end 13: where the stem enters the hard plastics spike 16 soforming a shoulder which is an additional force other than the end ofthe steel pin 26-28 driving against the blind hole through the animal'sear A, and this flange carries through the hole in the boss 19 of thesecond component 18 and engages and locks into the undercut seat 21 ofsuch hole. This stops the flexible coupling dis-engaging or swivellingon the pin.

By the method of passing the rigid pin 26 of the backing plate 24,through the hollow stem 11 the end of the pin contacts the reduced endin the hard plastics spike 16. This forms a continuous line of stablematerial with sufficient strength to allow the first component's stem 11to be passed through the ear A of the animal. On completion of theapplication, the steel pin 26-28 of the backing plate 24 is still leftwithin the tubular stem 11 of the first component 10; the plate and pinare then withdrawn from the tag which now remains as a resilient tag atthe front and rear of the ear.

It is therefore possible for this form of resilient coupling through theanimal's ear to be designed for tags of different size of numbering ormarking. It will of course be appreciated that whilst a tag andapplicator of single pin coupling has been described above, each is opento modification so as to adapted for a twin or multiple pin tag. Thislatter dual use of two or more pins precluding the tag swivelling.

.Iadd.Foreign priority based on New Zealand application 162,709, filedFeb. 5, 1971 applies to claims 1-3 and 7-9 only. .Iaddend.

.Iadd.Foreign priority based on New Zealand application 162,710, filedFeb. 5, 1971 applies to all claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. An animal ear tag comprising a first componentformed of resilient material having a hollow stem with a flanged outerend; a hollowed spike of hard material fitted on the flanged end of thehollow stem; and a second component formed of a resilient materialhaving a boss with a hole of smaller cross-sectional size than thelargest cross-sectional size of the hollowed spike, the second componentbeing positionable on the stem adjacent the hollowed spike, the hollowin said stem and said spike being adapted to receive a support rod forpositioning said stem within said hole in said boss during installationof said tag.
 2. A animal ear tag as claimed in claim 1 wherein eachcomponent is of tab-like configuration, each component having a flatthin panel, the panel of the first component extending from the hollowstem, and the panel of the second component extending from the boss. 3.An animal ear tag as claimed in claim 2 wherein the hollow stem of thefirst component is upstanding from one surface of and is moulded withthe panel of the component, the stem having a bore of constant diameterextending through it, and outer end of the stem being enlarged toprovide the flanged end with an inner shoulder extending from theexternal surface of the stem.
 4. An animal ear tag as claimed in claim 3wherein the enlarged end is moulded around the hollowed spike to becomean integral part thereof.
 5. An animal ear tag as claimed in claim 4including a seat in the hole in the boss of the second component, theflanged end of the hollow stem with the spike fitted thereon beingsupported upon the seat within the hole.
 6. An animal ear tag as claimedin claim 5 wherein the hollowed spike is of a conical formation with itshole passing through the apex providing a cutting edge about the hole.7. An animal ear tag as claimed in claim 1 wherein each component isformed of a resilient elastomeric plastics material.
 8. The animal eartag as claimed in claim 7 wherein said plastic material is polyurethane.9. An animal ear tag as claimed in claim 1 wherein: the first componenthas a further hollow stem with a flanged end and a fitted hollowedspike, and the second component has a further boss with a hole forfitting on the flanged end of the first component.